[Review] The V Girl

The V Girl

by Mya Robarts

Publish date: June 20, 2014
Genre: Dytopia, romance, NA
Rating: 4/5

Goodreads summary


In post-apocalyptic North America, rape and sexual slavery are legal. Lila Velez, desperately wants to lose her virginity before the troops visit her town and can take it away by force. She makes plans to seduce her only friend, Rey, the most attractive man in her town. Lila does not love him but he is the only man who has shown her true affection, an affection she is willing to take as a substitute of love.

Lila’s coping mechanism to her mother’s rape and kidnapping is her secret. A secret that will bring her closer to Aleksey, a foreign, broody man. Lila does not trust him because his links to the troops and his rough, yet irresistible appearance. Aleksey offers Lila an alternative to her plans, a possibility that terrifies her…and tempts her in spite of herself. 

All the while Lila will have to find a way to live in the constant company of death, slavery, starvation, sexual abuse and the danger of losing the people she loves the most.

**Contains mature content recommended for readers 18+

My thoughts

At first, I was very cautious to try out The V Girl. It sat on my TBR shelf for months as I went back and forth on whether to read it or not. I didn't know how much violence there was, or what kind of violence, and it made me hesitant. The blurb isn't very clear as to how explicit the book is, or if it's more along the lines of bdsm/erotica.

In the end, I took a chance, figuring that I could just set it aside if it made me too uncomfortable. After I closed the final chapter, I took a few moments to gather my thoughts and feelings. This book is very different that what I normally read and the conclusion I came to boils down to one word: thought-provoking. 

Not only does The V Girl  have the typical elements of a traditional novel - there's a story line, character building, world building, romance - but it also takes a look serious subjects and makes the reader think about them. What happens to society when rape is legal and everyone has been affected by it in one way or another?

There's a scene in the book where our MC, Lila, talks about how it's best to dress so as not to attract the attention of men. This really got me thinking about how relevant this is to society today. Girl are sent home from school because their outfits are a distraction to their male counterparts. Instead of teaching boys to respect a woman's body and that no really does mean no, we're putting the blame solely on girls dressing too provocatively. It's the old ignorant argument of "she deserves it if she dresses like that."

It also takes a look at the line between consensual and non-consensual. Is it really consensual if your only other option is to be raped in front of an audience? What do you do when the world is so messed up, it's almost beyond repair? These are the kinds of deep thoughts I had while reading The V Girl. 

But on top of all that, The V Girl is the story of one girl's survival and journey to love in this dark and sinister world.  It's exceptionally written; all of Lila's thoughts and fears became mine as I was reading. I was rooting for her and Aleksey the whole time as they fought to find a solution.  

Lastly, for those who might be uncomfortable with this topic, while there are instances of rape in this book, they are not explicitly graphic.

** I was provided a copy of this book through NetGalley in return for an honest review

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